Poker is an art. This is a definition shared by many players, given the powerful emotions that can be felt in this card game. Moreover, poker has a real place in art, thanks to paintings like those of the series of “Dogs playing poker”, by the painter Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. But it’s not just in art exhibitions that this particular game has left its mark. He also did it in language, in expressions that have crossed ages and civilizations and that continue to be used and shared today. And these would amply deserve a painting similar to canine paintings.
There are all types of expressions of this kind and it is therefore necessary to know how to organize them. They should not already be mixed with the historical phrases pronounced by the great protagonists of the game and which have marked the history of poker and in particular of Texas Hold’em. There are many other more common expressions associated with poker that could almost seem cliché, but which can also come to the aid of a player who feels lost at some point. And above all, there is poker concepts that are essential because they are repeated a lot in American and Anglo-Saxon culture, where the most prestigious series of online poker tournaments take place.
Thus, making a small summary of all this is worthwhile. From acronyms to recurring terms that can be said in many different ways, to more technical words that even some poker players don’t know.
Known acronyms
Among the most common expressions in poker, there are acronyms that every player should be able to recognize without doubting their meaning for a single second. This is the case, for example, of multi-table tournaments, which are represented by the letters MTT (multi-table tournament). It is precisely in this type of tournament that we can meet another acronym, at the end of the game, with the expression ITM (in the money) and which designates the players who have managed to finish in the paid places of the tournament.
There are also special denominations relating to the way of playing, such as LAG (loose aggressive) which describes a player who participates in a lot of hands while playing very aggressively. And a player adopting an opposite strategy, or at least who turns out to be aggressive but this time describing each of his hands played carefully, will be a TAG (Tight Aggressive).
Map designations
In card games in general, it often happens that a certain combination of cards has a specific name. The best example in poker is the hand of the deadwhich consists of two black 8s and two black Aces, and which owes its name to the death of Wild Bill Hickok in the old American West when he had these four cards in his hand at the time of his assassination.
So that you are not lost if you ever hear this expression around a table one day, know that a familiar way to call a full house in poker is boat. Also note that all cards ranging from 10 to Ace (thus with Jack, Queen and King in addition to the other two) are called Broadway. THE cowboys are the pairs of Kings while the ducks are the pairs of 2, affectionately known as the two ducklings.
Even stranger is the case of figures (Jack, Queen, King) which also bears the name of To paint.
Terms with the same meaning
It also happens that depending on the various places where poker has developed, the same game situation will have distinct names in each of these. Which in the end creates a variety of different terms for the same concept, but all of which must be known in order to be able to use them as well as the identifiers.
For example, back door And runner are both used to describe a situation where a player needs to hit two consecutive cards in their favor to form their hand. There is also stomach breaker, belly shot And inside straight pullall three of which are used to define a sequel project in which only one card is missing to make it happen.
Bubble Or bubble are the most used words to designate the last position of a tournament in which a player will not finish in the paid places. THE all-in Or all-in which obviously consists of betting all one’s chips, is also called a push in other cultures.
Finally, conversely, there are very similar terms but with very different meanings, such as for example A game And Game C . The first indicates the situation of a player who is at the peak of his mental capacities to play a very good match, and the second describes on the contrary a player in mental difficulty.
famous quotes
Finally, we must not forget these sentences that we keep repeating but to which we nevertheless pay little attention, because they are considered too cliché, but which nevertheless hide important truths behind them. Like for example the one who tells us that most of the money we will win in poker will not come from our good moves, but rather from the mistakes of our opponents. Because in reality that’s how it happens, poker being a game where any mistake is severely punished for those who leave their fate in the hands of chance.
The same truths lie behind the typical advice to always try to gauge the strength of your hand before playing it, or behind the one that tells us that the key to poker is to never get carried away or lose all your chips with it. this one. These are sometimes aspects of poker that some players despise, not trusting these popular sayings.
And for those who will one day find themselves in difficulty around a table, “never forget that there will always be other poker games, and if it’s not tomorrow then the day after tomorrow or next week “.
